Jason Pierre-Paul Picked The Right Finger To Blow Up And Then Amputate

Eric Goldschein 10:06 am, July 09th, 2015

There may not be a weirder, sadder, sketchier and more confusing NFL injury situation than that of Jason Pierre-Paul and the no-good-very-bad fireworks mishap. The free agent, who had a $60 million deal on the table the New York Giants (or, at minimum, a franchise tender), blew up some fireworks on the Fourth of July like a good Americans should, but ended up injuring his hand in the process.

Initial reports said that JPP was missing pieces of multiple fingers and that the injury could be "a career-ender." Then more reports said the injury wasn't so bad, maybe some burns and nerve damage but nothing serious. Then, this:

This tweet, which set off a firestorm of criticism for whomever leaked it (and for Schefter for sharing it with the world), was important for more than just the potential HIPAA violation: Turns out, JPP may have been hiding the extent of his injuries from the Giants. NYG officials tried to visit Pierre-Paul in the hospital, but left South Florida without seeing him because he refused medical help from the team and opted to amputate the finger to avoid future complications. The team, reportedly, did not know of JPP's decision until Schefter's tweet.

Obviously, a missing finger throws a professional football player's career into doubt -- and those doubts would be valid if JPP played quarterback, or maybe wide receiver. But as a defensive lineman, losing an index finger is perhaps a lucky break (though, obviously, all five fingers are preferred):

Medical fact: Index finger is least important for power grip.
If this is JPP only injury, he will do fine in NFL.
Wish him the best.

The question now is whether JPP needs further surgeries or procedures. If he loses gripping abilities in his thumb or ring finger, we're having a different conversation. But if this is all he's dealing with, the Giants may want to revisit offering Pierre-Paul a deal -- if only so he isn't snatched up by another team willing to take a chance on an All-Pro talent who is, at worst, just kind of dumb for blowing things up with own his million-dollar hands.